Controller for electric motors.



No. 878,961. PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908. P. N. JONES.- GONTROLLER FORELECTRIC MOTORS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, 1907.

3 SHEETS SHEET 1 PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908.

P. N. JONES. CONTROLLER F-OR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG..12, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

vwemioz Witnqooeo PEARL X. JONES, U1

Bl} .RG, PENNSYLVA IA.

fiONTROLLE-R ELECTRIC MOTORS.

No. eraser a i p ell ctricmotors, and the invention has for its objectthe combiningof two or more controllers with suitable mechanism wherebythe controllers can be simultaneously operated to regulate and rcyersethe current to the motors.

Another object of this invention is to con.- i

nect one of the members of the controllers to one or more motors. theother member or members to another motor or inotors in such a mannerthat any injury to one set of connections wili not impair or aflect theoperation of the other set of connections.

it istlite present practice, especially where heat rades and traffic areexperienced, to equip cars with four motors; one on each axle, and toconnect the motors to the con tacts' on the drmn of the controller. Itis also the practice to arrange the wires con meeting the motors to thecontroller by a cable extemling along one side -of the car. Thispractice is objectionable in case of injury to the controller. by thecar being entirely disabled. Further. if a short circuit should occur inthe cable, it is almost certain that all wires would be injured as tobreak connection between all the motors and the controller.

defccts'by providing controllers that can be simultaneously operated andto connect the members of the. controllers to one or more motors in sucha manner that none of the connections will be injured.

J r v In the drawings forming a part oi this specification, Figure 1 isa top plan view of a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

iinn filed August 12 1907. Serial No. 388.240.

inatic View. illustrating electrical connections l between the motor andthe controllers of a Q car. tug at. Plttsburg, in the county ofAllegheny 1 in the practice of my invention two single controllersconstructed in theusual or any suitable manner and having the currentrcyersing andJ'egulating shafts l and 2, arese-- cured together back toback in any suitable manner, as by bolts 3.

\l'hile not necessary. it is preferred to int-erpose a filling piece orpieces 4 between the back walls of the controlling boxes, said tillingpiece or pieces being preferably formed of insulating material. It isalso desirable to secure the controller boxes together by means of athin metal plate 5, screwed as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to the upper faceof the cont-rollm supporting frames (5. Gear wheels 7 and S are mountedon the shafts 2 of the controller drums, said wheels intermeshing withan idler 9. This transmitting gear is supported vertically in theconstruction shown in Figs. 2 and 3 by a frame it), which is providedwith a stud H on which the idler 9 rotates. The shafts 2 extend through.slots '12 in the ends of the frame 10. so that by removing the bearingcaps l3. the drum can be removed when repairs are neces sary. The shafts1, carrying the reversing switches. are provided with arms 14. ,con-

nected by a link 15, passing under frame it). which are held away fromthe connecting plate 5 or the upper ends of the controller it frames 6by washers 16, as shown in Fig. 3.

't cap or cover 17 is arranged over the. combined controllers and issecured in pos t on by bolts 18 or other suitable means. it

' preferred that both of the shafts 2 should My intention aims toobviate the above extend up through the cap or coycr, and on one of theshafts is attached an operating handle 19, while the other shaft isdesirably provided with a cap 20 which may be provided with a fingeradapted totraverse indicating marks on the cap or cover.

In case of the disabling of one of the members of the controllers, thecar can be moved by the motors connected to the other memher or membersof the controller.

the cap or cover thereof removed, Fig. 3 is a Q sectional yiew on theplane indicated by the line IIIIII of Fig. 2, Figp i is a detail ViOW ofthe supporting plate for the transmitting gear, Fig. 5 is a sectionalYIOW on the plane indicated by the line V\' of Fig. 2, showing a slightmodification of construction to that illustrated in Fig. 3, and Fig. 6is a diagram- As at times the injury to one of the members of thecontroller may be of such character as to prevent the operation of thecontroller until the mechanical connection between the-cur--rentregulating members is effected, provision is made for suchdisconnection.

As shown in Fig. '5 a section 21 of the cap or cover 17 over the idleris made removable soas to permit removal of the idler from operativerelation to the other members of the transmitting gear. By thus removingthe idlerthe uninjured member or members of the controller can beoperated by a handle on its shaft 2 independent of the other member. Inlieu of mounting the idler on a stud carried by the frame 1.0, it may bemounted on a stud 22 on the cover, and when the cover is formed witharemovable section 21, the stud is preferably secured to such removablesection as shown in Fig. 5.

The use of two controlling members permits of connecting the motorsindependently to the controller as shown in Fig. 6. As therein shown themotors A on one truck are electrically connected to one of thecontrolling members, while themotors B on the other truck haveindependent electrical connections to the other controlling member. Theconductor 23 from the controller to the motors A is separated aconsiderable distance from and desirably located on the opposite side ofthe car from the conductor 24 between motors B and the controller, sothat injury to one of the conductors, as 23, will not affect theotherconnection.

It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that eachmotor may be connected to a controlling member and that when two or moremotors are controlled by a member of the multiple controller, they maybe connected to the controller in any desired combination.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new, is

1 A controller having in combination a plurality of current regulatingmembers each having a handle and driving connections betweensaidniembers, comprising a gear wheel for each regulating member, and anidler disposed between the gear Wheels of the members and.removably-mounted whereby said members may be operated independentlywhen the idler is removed.

2. \A controller having in combination a pluralityv of currentregulating members, an

'idler removably-mounted.between the memeraser bers and normallyconnecting them, and means for operating the members independently whenthe idler is removed.

8. The combination of a car, a plurality of motors, a controller havinga plurality of current regulating members, means for simul taneouslyoperating said members, connections from one of the regulating membersto motors controlled thereby, arranged on one side of the car andconnections from the other regulating member to the other motorsarranged on the opposite side of the car.

at. A current controller comprising a plurality of current regulatingmembers each operative independently and each having a currentregulating shaft, a gear on the shaft of each member, an idler gearmounted between and meshing with the gears on said shafts to effectsimultaneous operation of the shafts, the said idler beingremovablymounted whereby when disconnected from a the gears on theshafts said-members may each be operated independently.

5. A current controller having in combination, a plurality of currentregulating members each having a current regulating shaft, means forgearing the shafts together whereby the actuation of one shaft of one ofsaid members operates the shaft of the other member, the said meansbeing so mounted as to be shifted out of geared connection to permitindependent operation of the members.

6. A current controller having in combination a pair of currentregulating members each having a current regulating sh aft, means foroperating the shafts of said members independently, and means forgearing the shafts together whereby one shaft is operated simultaneouslywith the operation of the other, the said means being removable wherebythe shafts may be operated independently.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

- PEARL N. JONES.

Witnesses H. K. GownY, 'JMAX H. SROLOVITZ.

